Antonio Silva (16-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has been sidelined since his surprising September loss to Daniel Cormier in the semifinals of Strikeforce's heavyweight grand prix.
A lot has happened since then, including a surgical procedure, a change in training camps and a brand new UFC contract.
It's all for the best, Silva said. Things happen for a reason, and Silva believes his time is now in the octagon.
"I am honored to be in the UFC, where the best fighters in the world are," Silva told
MMAjunkie.com (
UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com) through a translator. "I want to face the best, and I will give it everything I have."
Silva's first step toward righting the ship was to address a nagging shoulder injury. He underwent the process in November, and he said physical therapy was a complete success.
"My shoulder was really giving me a lot of trouble," Silva admitted. "I was fighting and training in a lot of pain."
Next was a new (old) training camp, as the arrival of Alistair Overeem to Florida's Blackzilians camp led Silva to seek a return to American Top Team. While there has been some speculation that Silva's departure from the Blackzilians came with great tension, "Bigfoot" insists it was simply a professional decision based on the idea that he may one day need to face Overeem, the UFC's current No. 1 heavyweight contender.
"First of all, I was never part of the Blackzilians team," Silva said. "I would go there to see and train with my friends. The moment I heard that they had signed Overeem, I stopped going there. I might fight him in the near future, so I don't want to train with him. I have good friends there, though.
"I came back to ATT. I spoke to Dan Lambert, as he is one of my managers. I have many friends there, and they received me with open arms."
Following Silva's loss to Cormier, Strikeforce officials announced they would disband the heavyweight division. Silva was brought to the UFC and initially was linked to a potential matchup with ex-champ Cain Velasquez. Instead, he now meets Roy Nelson (16-7 MMA, 3-3 UFC) at May's UFC 146 event.
Nelson is just 1-3 in his past four fights and is in desperate need of a positive result. Meanwhile, Silva also hopes to rebound from his recent loss and expects fireworks in the matchup.
"Both of us need a victory," Silva said. "I have been training hard since December, and this fight will be a war.
"Roy is a great and tough fighter. He has fought the best, and I want to start with the right foot in the UFC."
Silva was once the EliteXC heavyweight champion before that organization closed its doors. He was considered one of Strikeforce's top contenders before he was eliminated by Cormier in the grand-prix matchup. Now, with his career again pointed in a different direction, Silva has his sights set on UFC gold.
That said, he refuses to look past Nelson in what he considered one of the most important bouts of his career.
"I will only concentrate on Roy – with the same determination I had with Fedor Emelianenko," Silva said. "All I want to accomplish are good fights for my fans, and I want the UFC happy with me. I need to establish myself in the event. There is a long road to a title shot.
"I want to thank first of all God. I thank the UFC for giving me this opportunity, and I will always give my best when I enter that cage. I want to thank my managers, Alex Davis and Dan Lambert, ATT and Team Nogueira. I will be constantly looking for a knockout or a sub."